The document highlights work being done by NIST, standards working group and budget guidance to agencies. NIST to come out with several special publications to help agencies implement cloud computing. The CIO Council also includes use cases on 30 different cloud implementations.

When it comes to securing the nation's cybersecurity infrastructure, how do federal officials think of the future? One of the top cybersecurity officials at the Department of Homeland Security weighed in on the topic at the ISC2 SecureAmericas conference yesterday.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health - using an electro-encephalogram, a machine that records the brain's electrical activity - shows newborn infants are capable of a simple form of learning while they're asleep. The finding may one day lead to a test that can identify infants at risk for developmental disorders.
The NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development sponsors research on development, before and after birth.
The machine measured the babies brain's electrical activity while a video camera recorded each baby's facial expressions, as researchers played a tone, as a machine blew a puff of air at each sleeping infant's eyelids. The electroencephalogram detected changes in brain wave activity that occurred simultaneously with the tone, showing the infants had learned to associate the tone with the puff of air.

Summer may be the time for hitting the trail or rafting the gorge, but before heading out, the National Park Service is encouraging visitors to spend at least a little time planning an itinerary, negotiating routes, and researching the environs of where they're going. And, they have a new website to help out.
The National Park Service's 2010 Summer Adventure trip planning website connects visitors to travel resources, events and services at national parks across the country.
The website links visitors to sites of interest, lodging, upcoming events and tips to get the most out of the nation's parks. An interactive calendar makes it easier to search for special events by state, or by park.
Last year more than 285 million people visited national parks. The website is at www- dot-nps-dot-gov.

Scientists at the Nuclear Science and Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab are bringing together decades of nuclear energy and safety expertise with high-performance computing to effectively address a range of nuclear energy - and security-related - challenges.
One of the goals of the Lab's Nuclear Science and Technology Division is to bring together what we know about nuclear energy, nuclear national security modeling, and simulation capabilities with high-performance computing. That will solve problems that were previously unthinkable, or impractical, in terms of the computing power required to address them.
One example is using computational methods and software to simulate radiation, in order to support the design and safety of nuclear facilities.

It could be a small win in the fight against malicious botnets. An Internet service provider known for hosting command and control channels for the Zeus botnet has been knocked offline. Media reports say the company was based in Russia. The take-down happened when the firm's upstream service provider shut down it's connection. It's unclear, however, what effect the move might have as, often, hackers who run botnets will move to other service providers.